skip to main |
skip to sidebar
The January budget held up good. Before I did a budget I thought about what did I want to spend on a few categories like food and household stuff. We decided $500 for each for the month. I took out $500 cash for each and put them in their own envelopes and guess what? We spent only $350 on the food category and $325 on the household category. That blew my mind. But what really got me was looking back in Quicken to see what we averaged per month last year. We spent and average of over $700 per month on food last year. And over $1000 a month on household stuff (this category includes things like dog food and meds, the new rug in our front room, tools and fixing the lawnmower). It could just be a fluke. February might not be as good. In fact I know it wont be as good. I just bought some vitamins that I only buy every few months and I will be making a run to Whole Foods to buy my special gluten free bread. This might be a $500 month. We are well stocked though and feel like if we really want to stick to a $500 limit it shouldn't be a problem. It might mean a few creative meals though!
We were also talking about what to do with the "extra" money left over at the end of the month. The two options we came up with were to roll it over to the next month or put all the extra into an extra spending fund. (I think the TV is on the way out - You can't really read anything printed in small writing anymore and it takes about 15 seconds to "come on" when you turn it on. I'm thinking we will need a new one in about a year) If we roll it over then we really aren't keeping to spending the same every month. I dont want to get used to splurging just because there is extra. So we are going to go with hording the extra to spend on something that we need/want that is not in the budget and to have a plan for the extra. No spur of the moment buys. So all in all I think January was productive financially.
I also got all our retirement/college accounts organized and on Quicken. I had lost passwords and account numbers changed and I just had not bothered to get it all together. Now its all straightened out. Turns out I had made many deposits that had been sitting there in cash for the past year. I hadn't bought any mutual funds with them yet. So now I am slowly buying funds so the money isnt just sitting there. I will also be opening a high(er) interest savings account with an online bank so my savings will make more than the 0.71% it makes now. Duh!! I will give more details about that when I get it done this weekend.
Now to exercise. Well lets just say I'm doing a lot better than I was before which was nearly nothing, but I know I could do better. It really is hard to make time when you are falling asleep before 9pm. I don't like to choose between exercise and reading with Logan. I should be able to do both but sometimes is doesn't work out.
I knew it all along. Just because I didn't do anything about it doesn't mean anything. Maybe I was trying to keep a secret! Well there, my secrets out and now I have to actually do it. It was on the news even! Charlie Gibson said so on ABC News. Just in case you don't believe me here is the article about it.
ABC link
Even though I haven't done much the past few days, I have at least been consistent and found time to do something. And I only counted real exercise and not vacuuming. Well time to go to bed. Maybe I will do 11 minutes tomorrow!
It's been a great week! Charles finished his second week at his new job at Byrne Metals, Corp. He works in the shop, bending and cutting sheet metal into parts for buildings. We got his first paycheck and he sold the 1999 Toyota Corolla for $500. I also got paid so it was a good day toward our financial goals. When this month is over I will look at how we did sticking to our budget. So far it is looking good.
As for getting organized, we are making a good effort to declutter. If you look at what is gone by weight then I think we are well on our way by getting rid of the car! To keep it we would have had to spend about $700 next month on registration, inspection, tires, windshield and of course insurance. Now there is less stuff covering our very muddy driveway (it rained all last week!).
And today I started my exercise log. I am putting it on a Google calendar and you can see my progress (or lack of) by clicking on the link at the side. I thought about what would be the best way to stick to an exercise routine. Well nothing like public accountability.
I hope everyone is doing well. We are glad to have our first mostly dry and warmer day (60 degrees for the high). Yeah!
Yeah, I know the same old goals! But hey, I could say that resolutions will never work and then I would be right were I am now. Not that it is a bad place to be but I know I could do better. So here it goes.
1. Improve our finances.
2. Spend more time having fun! (Got to have #1 to do #2)
3. Get in better physical shape. (I know - practice what you preach. I am a physical therapist after all!)
4. Be more organized.
Maybe a little ambitious but I think each one has something to do with the others. We had spent the majority of the past two years trying to have a baby. Not successfully as most of you know, but we are looking at the positives, and there are many. It includes not spending as much money on a second child for his/her lifetime (and ongoing infertility treatments), more time for Logan, be empty nester's sooner (this is important at my age!). Logan is six years old and will soon be at an age where he will travel easier. I have spent a lot of time the past year finding the important tools to learn about how to improve in each of these areas. Now I am working on fine tuning each one.
First Charles spent the past year starting a business that has not yet made it. It's a great idea and he does have a great product but we are both lacking the business experience to make it really work. So he is still going to work on it on the weekends but he started back to the work grind last week with a new job very close to home. He works 7-3 and will be home in time for the bus so Logan doesn't have to go to day care except for holidays and the summer. We have made it on what I make but don't have any to put into the business and nothing has been put in savings this past year. I don't want to make that a habit!
For #2 it will have to be local inexpensive stuff for the first year until we have met goal #1. We are hoping to make a couple trips for 2009.
For #3 well - that just needs to be done. I know what to do. I have another goal for further down the road once I can go part time. I want to get my pilates certification and it could take a year or more. But the issue comes down to the fact that it you want to teach all those exercises then you have to be able to DO them! Not the same as teaching people to walk again.
Then on to #4. Getting organized. Our first challenge is to declutter. We had one garage sale last fall and we are doing a benefit garage sale for one of our nurses at work in about a month. And somehow I am in charge of ORGANIZING it. Silly people! How hard could it be? Okay stop laughing!
So I plan on posting my challenges and achievements on my resolutions. Nothing like a little accountability. I think if I write about it I push myself a little further with it. If there is anyone who would like to join me you can post your updates in the comments!! I would love some company!
My first motivation was to watch this video on time management. I know, snoozeville! But really, this one is great. If you have the "time" it's great to watch.
Watch Video
We did it again! This was Logan's fifth trip to see Monster Jam in Houston. He loved it! We got to hear the ROAR and smell the fuel and eat junk food. This time we used the pit pass to get an up close look at the trucks and Logan even got to have two of drivers sign his flag and program. Really cool. I could have had a better time except that I was a little sick. But no problem that a little Advil and throat lozenges couldn't help... Until the next day. I felt like I got run over by a monster truck. I ended up missing two days of work and probably had the flu. Yuck. I don't recommend it!
He is a slide show of the pictures I posted in my photo gallery.
